I am glad that you are all still enjoying the story. I hope that I haven't disappointed. I promise that there is more Spuffy to come and the last chapters will bring the story together. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think. By the way, I really enjoyed giving Xander something helpful and positive to do!
Chapter 26 Answers
Willow and Giles had returned to their room and it seemed as if no one had been there. The remains of their morning meal were left untouched. As a matter of fact, the castle had almost seemed deserted. They hadn't seen any of the help during their research mission. It was all very strange.
They both had been busy using the pages that Willow had torn from the book to decipher the symbols. They were surprised at what they found.
"It seems that this is some kind of curse, Giles. The symbols tell the tale, but there are a couple that I don't understand. I can't seem to get the translation." Willow was trying to determine the meanings fast as they didn't have much time.
"Some kind of ritual has to be performed to break the curse. This Anne girl is part of the curse as well, but it seems that the king got the worst of it. The ritual involves a woman and a demon. It says a woman with great power will break the spell by giving her heart to the demon. What do you suppose that means?" Willow was confused now.
"I'm not sure. I suppose the demon would be the king who was cursed. The woman must be Buffy. Her power is needed to restore Anne. I don't think the king is physically here in the castle, so he must be using the prince. That must be why he locked us in our room and tried to kill Spike. He needs us out of the way so he can perform the ritual without interruption." Giles was putting the story together now.
"What are we going to do Giles? We can't let this happen to Buffy. There has to be a way to break the curse without sacrificing Buffy. We need to get home but we don't want to free the king. I get the feeling he won't let us live happily ever after." Willow went back to looking at the symbols. "There must be something else here that will help us. I will keep looking."
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Once the mirror went back to normal the room was very quiet. Spike and Buffy stood looking at each other not quite sure what had just happened. Xander had managed to talk to them and had given them very important information. He had come through for them.
"Sometimes the whelp surprises me." Spike was the first to speak up. Buffy gave him an appreciative look. "Yes, Xander came through for us. He said something about a necklace. If the king intends to use it, then it must be here somewhere. Let's look around."
They split up and started looking through the princes' possessions until Buffy found the golden box on the dressing table. She opened it to find the ruby heart necklace. "Spike, I think I found it."
It was a beautiful necklace. She took it from the box and held it up. Spike crossed the room and took the necklace into his hand. "It's a beauty all right. At least the bloke has good taste." Buffy grabbed the necklace back. She wasn't angry but he never seemed to take anything seriously. She decided he needed to work on that.
"We should go and find Giles and Willow. We need to tell them what happened and show them the necklace. Hopefully they found something on the symbols that will help us." She dropped the necklace into her dress between her breasts. Spike cocked one eyebrow and gave her a look. "Just for safe keeping." She replied.
They carefully made sure the room was just as they found it and left. They were coming down the stairway and heard noises. They hid behind the door of a storage room and listened. It was two of the servant girls.
"Looks like tomorrow will be the big day. I can't believe he has the whole house working on this. We won't have time to get our regular chores finished." The girls were walking up the stairway and talking to one another.
"I really need to go check on Anne. The prince says that she has to be ready for tomorrow." They proceeded to continue up the stairway.
The voices became fainter as they got farther away. Buffy and Spike had remained still and had heard everything. Spike was savoring his closeness to the slayer and he was standing directly behind her. He put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. He was taking advantage of their hiding place and not wanting to be discovered. "It looks like the prince has all the help busy getting his little ritual ready. Stupid git. I guess that's why we haven't seen anyone about this morn'in." Spike was whispering into Buffy's ear now.
Buffy could feel his chest against her back and leaned into him a little farther. She closed her eyes and remembered how his kiss had felt and how it had made her feel.
Buffy was thinking and still silent. She opened her eyes and remembered their situation. "We don't have much time. We need to find Giles and Willow. Let's check their room first." She pulled Spikes arm and they quietly continued on their way.
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They found Giles and Willow in their room and they looked busy. They must have found something in the study.
"So, did you find anything to help us?" Buffy was a little nervous now. Time was running out.
"I have figured out most of it. Looks like your power and …..possibly your body are needed to restore Anne. It says you have to give your heart to the demon. I don't know what that means yet." Willow was frustrated that she didn't have more.
"I think I do." Buffy pulled the necklace from her dress and held it up. "This must be the heart. I think I have to wear it." They all looked at Buffy.
"Where did you get that?" Giles was curious now and walking over to take the necklace from Buffy. "Spike and I found Julian's room. It was there in a gold box. We also talked to Xander." Buffy blurted that last part out without thinking.
"Xander? He's here in the castle now too?" Willow was upset now. She couldn't believe what a mess this was becoming. "No, he's not here. He was able to find Mr. Hargis and get some answers. He used a mirror to talk to us. I guess that is how the king has been communicating to our world."
Giles removed his glasses. "Well, that was very ingenious of Xander. Did he give you any other information?"
"Yes. The ritual will be tomorrow. If we can't stop it, we will all most likely die. Either from the ritual or from the wrath of the king once he is restored. I promised Anne I would help her. Have you guys found anything to help us?
Willow was still researching the symbols. "There are a couple things here I don't understand. I just need a little more time."
Spike was the first to reply. "We don't have much time Red. We have to figure out someth'in. This thing is going down tomorrow and we can't fight what we don't know. Give us someth'in to work with here." Spike was running his hand through his hair and giving Buffy a concerned look.
Willow was trying. She looked again and then tore the symbols on the paper apart and rearranged them on the bed. She kept moving them around and then suddenly she stopped. It made sense, but would it work? They would have to take the chance. She looked up at Buffy and Spike. "I think I have an idea."